It’s time again for another installment of the “30 Questions With Photographer…” series. For this project, I ask photographers to answer 30 questions about themselves and their photography. I also ask them to share some of their work. The goal of this project is to spread the word on photographers who have impacted my photographic journey; photographers I think you need to know about.
The next photographer I’m featuring is well known in the film photography community. He even has a film photography podcast.
While I’ve never met this person in real life, we connect frequently through social media, and I hope to be able to go shooting with him one day.
The next photographer I want to introduce you to is Neil Piper.
Accidental Self Portrait - Zero Image 2000 - Fuji Acros
Q: What is your name and where do you live?
A: Neil Piper. Suffolk in the UK, pretty much as far east as you can get on the mainland.
Q: How can people contact you?
A: www.neilpiper.com. @neil_piper. My website and my Instagram are definitely the best places to contact me. I can also be found floating around the Negative Positives Facebook group. I have a podcast called Soot & Whitewash and anyone is welcome to contact me through that platform as well.
Q: If we’ve met, how do we know each other?
A: We’ve never met in person, but we chat a lot online and through messenger. I believe we first came into contact though the Negative Positives Facebook group and you’re now a valued member of my Project Box Camera, err, project.
Brimham Rocks - Bronica ETRS - HP5 - Cyanotype
Q: What is your earliest memory of taking a photography?
A: I can remember at an early age getting a ‘Mighty White’ branded 110 camera, you know one of those ones that came when you collected tokens from a product – in this case bread! The 110 cartridge was bigger than the camera and stuck out the side! I don’t think I ever had any film for it, but my brother and I used to pretend that we were taking photographs. Years later I tracked one of these cameras down on eBay and I keep it as a fond memory. Aside from that really no real memory of taking photographs other than on my phone until 2012 when I bought a digital compact camera to go travelling Europe with. That was incidentally the camera that introduced me to photography and this whole deep rabbit hole!
Q: Of the cameras you currently own, what is your favorite (you may choose one of each format if applicable?
A: Urgh…that’s tough, and really depends on what I’m doing…! SLR…? Olympus OM1. My Reality So Subtle 6X6F is a fantastic medium format pinhole camera, and I’ve just got in deep with my Speed Graphic for large format…! I’ve also just picked up a 1917 Vest Pocket Kodak 127 camera and I can see that being a lot of fun!
Reality So Subtle 6X6F - Fuji Acros
Q: Is there a camera you’ve always lusted after and hope to acquire someday? What makes you desire this camera?
A: A Chroma large format camera. They look incredible, and the tech specs for the money is simply unbeatable. Their creator Steve Lloyd is an awesome chap and I have nothing but respect for him and his products, and someday soon I hope to be able to show my support for his business with a purchase or two.
Q: Is there a camera you no longer have that you miss?
A: Does my OM1 count? I don’t use it much because it's developing some issues. It really needs to be sent away for a service but, you know…cash and all that. I miss using that but actually cameras I’ve gotten rid of…? Who gets rid of cameras…?!
Q: What type of photographs do you most enjoy taking (portraits, landscapes, street, etc) and why?
A: I try and steer clear of ‘genres’ of photography. When pressed I call myself an ‘opportunist’ photographer. I will point my camera at anything that I find interesting – I’m not fussed if it’s a landscape or a person or a still life etc. I like to document life and history, so maybe I’ll accept the term documentary photographer…
Reality So Subtle 6X6F - Ilford FP4 - VanDijk Print
Q: While most of us shoot both digital and film, I believe we all have a tendency to prefer one over the other. What do you prefer and why?
A: I prefer film. Well that’s not entirely true. I prefer the whole process that I get when using a film camera. From loading the film, the tactile nature of using the actual camera, developing the negatives and then making a print in the darkroom. I use digital cameras at work and that’s where it remains, at work. I’ll shoot a lot on my phone as well but that’s mainly pictures of the family and locations that I would like to revisit and need to remember.
Q: How often/much do you shoot photographs (rolls per week, month, etc)?
A: Recently it’s down to maybe a roll and a couple of sheets a week.
Q: Do you prefer to photograph with other people, or would you rather shoot alone? Please explain.
A: I like both. If I’m out with others I’ll often spend the time catching up and then shoot very little, but when I’m out on my own I find myself wishing I had others to talk to. I’m doing quite a bit of 4x5 at the moment and I find that that takes my full concentration, so probably best to be on my own otherwise I’d start wasting sheets by making silly mistakes…!
Speed Graphic - Ilford Delta 100 - Caffenol CH
Q: What is your favorite black and white film right now and why?
A: Again, very tough question. When you initially asked this, I thought Ilford FP4. I love the grain structure, and I’ve had great results pushing it to a variety of speeds. It develops well in both Caffenol and Rodinal and they’re pretty much what I use exclusively. I am working quite a lot with sheets of Fomapan 400 though, and although not my favorite right now I can see that it's getting close! I have also gone deep at the moment for 35mm with Kentmere 400. It’s a wonderfully versatile film and I’ve had great results shooting it at box speed, ISO100 and 200 and with both yellow and red filters. For the money you really cat go wrong. It’s part of Ilford's budget range but I honestly prefer it to some of their more premium products.
Marsh House - Kentmere 400 - Vest Pocket Kodak
Q: What is your favorite color film right now and why?
A: I don’t really tend to shoot colour. I do like what others do with the range of Kodak Portra films though. I have a couple of rolls of Lomography Metropolis sitting in the fridge that I’m actually looking forward to trying after seeing other people’s results. Maybe once the world gets back to some sense of normality I can go out and shoot some street work with it. That’s the plan anyway.
Q: Complete the following sentence: “I am a photographer because…”. What do YOU get from photography?
A: …I find it the best way for me to document my life, and I love using cameras – regardless of the resulting images that come out of them.
Q: Best experience while taking photographs?
A: Back in March I took a day to travel up to Yorkshire in the UK to make some work. It was just before the COVID-19 lockdown had been imposed but an event to be attended my many film photographer friends had already been cancelled and for my own mental wellbeing I needed to get out and make some work. I had a wonderful day using several cameras and films and not having to worry about anything else that was going on. I recorded my thoughts that day and it became episode 49 of Soot & Whitewash. I made many images that I love that day and am currently still working through printing them in the darkroom.
Q: Most emotional experience while taking photographs?
A: I’m not sure I’ve had a really emotional experience whilst actually taking photographs, that tends to come when I print them later. My Nan passed away recently and when printing some shots of her at her 90th birthday party a few years back, in the darkroom I got quite emotional thinking about her and how my mum would react when seeing these photographs.
Q: Worst experience while taking photographs.
A: An unpublished, possibly unfinished project that I loosely titled ‘Never Meet Your Heroes.’ A few years back I took two days away to visit an area of the UK that I have very fond childhood memories of. The beach, wonderful golden sand, sun and tourist shops, you know the stuff. Seaside holiday town. I visited and it was raining. Proper sideways rain at that. The town was geographically how I remembered but everything was grey and wet. Some of the shops I’d remembered were long gone. I visited the site of where we stayed as a family and it was precisely how I remembered. It was a static caravan in private field. I made the mistake of driving the car up to it so I could make a photograph or two, with the intention of driving off before my small bit of harmless trespassing was noticed. My car got stuck in the field. I chewed up the grass with the car, got freezing cold and soaking wet before admitting defeat and having to go and ask for help. I knocked on the door of the house and it was the same lady, the lady I remember as a kid. I explained to her what had happened and how sorry I was. She told me that she would love to help but it was the day of her husband’s funeral and everybody was otherwise occupied. Probably one of the worst experiences of my life, photography related or otherwise.
Q: Tell me about something related to photography you want to learn.
A: Printing. I currently print silver gelatin but my practice needs a lot of work, and I would like to try some more alt process printing. Also, I’d like to get deeper into mechanical camera repair and building.
Q: Tell me about something NOT related to photography you want to learn.
A: I’m currently trying to learn to draw. It’s not going great to be honest…!
Q: What does your family/loved ones think/feel about your photography?
A: They are all very used to it and understand that I need to do it. The kids think nothing of the fact that daddy nearly always has a camera in his hand! My wife is the single most understanding person in the world.
Linton Falls - Speed Graphic - Foma 400 - Cyanotype
Q: What is the last photography related book you’ve acquired?
A: It was either ‘The History of Photography in 50 Cameras’ or a large stack of old Pinhole Journals. The 50 cameras book is amazing, and id thoroughly recommend it to anybody with an interest in photography and/or cameras. It’s the first book in a long while that I’ve read cover to cover and was genuinely sad that I finished!
Q: Name one of your favorite accounts on Instagram and explain what draws you to this photographer.
A: Without even having to look at my phone the answer conspiracy.of.cartographers. Eric is a fantastic photographer and a wonderful person. Probably one of the first people that I made contact within the community and am proud to call him a friend. He has an aesthetic within his work that I believe is unique to him. His work is quite often of historical sites in America, and the effort he goes to understand the importance of these sites is second to none. I have massive respect for you Eric if you ever happen to read this…
Q: Have you ever sold or have thought about selling any of your photographs? Would you do it again? Any advice for others thinking of selling their photographs?
A: I have had a couple of gallery showings and have sold photographs and small alt-process prints, and for sure I’d do it again. Advice? Don’t sell yourself short when it comes to pricing your work, and don’t take it personally if there’s not a mad rush to buy your work. The right people will come along and see the time and effort gone into something and appreciate it.
Q: Are there any photography related projects you’re working on that you’d like to tell us about?
A: I have an ongoing project documenting a long removed narrow-gauge railway line that passed through the countryside very local to me. It started out being made in pinhole and being printed as Vandyke prints, but I have recently returned to it and am making images now with a range of cameras. My Vest Pocket Kodak is of the correct era and I would like to make some related work with that. The existing images can be found on my website.
Southwold To Halesworth 1 - Holga 120N - Ilford FP4
Q: Are there any non-photographic related projects you’re working on that you’d like to tell us about?
A: If I’m honest not really, other than the getting the garden together in the house we moved into last year!
Q: Where is your favorite location to shoot (specific place or type of place)?
A: For sure the route of the Southwold to Halesworth narrow gauge railway line, mentioned a few questions ago.
Q: Is there a specific object you’ve found yourself photographing over and over again? If so, why?
A: Err..again, the railway line route!
That Shed - ONDU 6x12 Multiformat - Delta 400 - Cyanotype
Q: Favorite thing about the photographic community?
A: The sheer generosity of the people that populate it. Whether it’s a loaner of a piece of gear before you buy it, some information about something you’ve been struggling with, the podcasts that have spawned out of it and the friendships that have formed out of this fantastic group of people who share a common interest.
Q: What do you think the photographic community is missing?
A: A more accepting attitude to the fact that some people shoot digital, some people shoot film. Some people like this, some people like that. As far as photography as a hobby, photography is photography and people can do with it whatever the hell they want to do. There’s always that few bunch of dicks that insist that their way of doing things is the correct and therefore the only way of doing things. I don’t have time for those people and the hell hole forums and groups that they hang out in.
Q: Biggest photography related pet peeve?
A: Instagram likes and users chasing higher and higher numbers of followers.
Q: What do you hope your photographic legacy will be?
A: Some interesting work that doesn’t immediately end up in the bin the moment my stuff gets gone through! Although for that to stand a chance of happening I should really organize my negatives and prints better!
Q: Who is the one person (living or dead) that you’d like to photograph and why? Describe the type of portrait you’d shoot, and the message you’d want this portrait to communicate about this person.
A: I would like to bring Henry Fox-Talbot to the present day, show him how photography has changed through the years, show him that the early processes of photography that he had a major part in defining are still used and photograph him in front of his famous window at Laycock Abbey with a 4x5 Chroma camera – a fitting example of a camera that embraces historic technology but with 21st century materials.
I think you’ll agree that Neil is an amazing photographer. I’ve always enjoyed his photography and viewing it always inspires me to pick up my camera and go shoot. To see more of Neil’s work, be sure to visit his website or Instagram. Also, be sure to give his podcast a listen. When I do, it always feels more like I’m sitting down and having a conversation with an old friend.